A Patron Saint

[Guest guest]

I stumbled upon this in my surfing of the net... and I wanted to

share.. there was no author stated so not sure who to give credit

to.. but I hope you enjoy..

A Patron Saint

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by

social pressures and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000

women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever

wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments

for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he

instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger, " Armstrong,

Beth - son; patron saint - . Forrest, Marjorie - daughter;

patron saint - Cecilia. Rudledge, - twins; patron saint - give

her Gerard. He's used to profanity. " Finally, he passes a name to an

angel and smiles, " Give her an autistic child. " The angel is

curious. " Why this one, God? She's so happy. "

" Exactly, " says God. " Could I give an autistic child to a mother who

does not know laughter? That would be cruel. "

" But has she the patience? " asks the angel.

" I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a

sea of self pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off,

she'll handle it. I watched her today, she has that feeling of self

and independence that is so rare and necessary in a mother. You see,

the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it

live in her world, and that's not going to be easy. "

" But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you. " God smiles, " No

matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough

selfishness. " The angel gasps, " Selfishness? Is that a virtue? " God

nods, " If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally,

she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a

child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be

envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'. She will

never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says'Momma' for the

first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! I will

permit her to see clearly the things I see... ignorance, cruelty,

prejudice... and allow her to rise above them. She will never be

alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life,

because she is doing my work as surely she is here by side. "

" And what about her patron saint? " , asks the angel, pen poised in

midair.

God smiles, " A mirror will suffice. "